Guy Holmes (psychologist)

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Guy Holmes was a clinical psychologist in the UK known for his work in the area of critical and community psychology, in particular Psychology in the Real World, a type of social action group work that influenced theory and practice community psychology.

Contents

Early career

Holmes was known for working alongside psychiatric service users in group facilitation, social action projects, NHS work and research. This type of work, exemplified by the phrase ‘doing things with, rather than to, people’ and by his collaborative books This is Madness and This is Madness Too, were seen as radical in the 1990s but are now part of mainstream UK Government policy in terms of service user involvement, [1] with most British Mental Health Trusts proclaiming that ‘service users are at the heart of everything we do.’ [2] This is Madness was reviewed as a 'who's who of the new anti-psychiatry movement', [3] and became a core text on many mental health professional training courses. It enabled prominent members of the service user/survivor movement to publish their work in a textbook for the first time. [4]

Psychology in the Real World

Psychology in the Real World is an umbrella title for a variety of community-based groups that Holmes and service user activists co-facilitated from 1999 onwards and which inspired similar groups to be set up across the UK. [5] They include: Thinking about Medication, a group that enabled participants to critique, reduce and come off psychiatric drugs, including anti-psychotics - something that was seen as risky and dangerous at the time but is now viewed as essential given the propensity of such drugs to cause diabetes and other serious physical health problems. [6] Toxic Mental Environments identified aspects of our lived environments that are toxic to our mental health and supported participants to set up projects to detoxify those environments. Walk and Talk, a group featured on Radio 4's All in the Mind [7] and Clare Balding's Ramblings, [8] enabled participants to connect with each other and with the healing power of nature.

Guy Holmes and Nicki Evans, 1st International Conference on the Multi-Dimensions of Well-Being, Birmingham, 2011 Guy Holmes and Nicki Evans, 1st International Conference on the Multi-Dimensions of Well-Being, Birmingham, 2011.jpg
Guy Holmes and Nicki Evans, 1st International Conference on the Multi-Dimensions of Well-Being, Birmingham, 2011

Psychology in the Real World projects enable people with long histories of psychiatric service involvement to take on roles (such as planner and facilitator of groups; researcher; author; staff trainer; lecturer) that provide greater self esteem than roles they are commonly assigned to. As such Psychology in the Real World can be seen as an example of social role valorisation. [9] In 2011 Nicki Evans received a standing ovation at the 1st International Conference on the Multi-Dimensions of Well-Being after describing her journey from a passive recipient of inpatient psychiatric services to becoming an active member of several Psychology in the Real World groups; how this led to her planning and running her own ‘Writing groups’ and taking a lead role in Walk and Talk; and how speaking at conferences and providing staff training about the groups eventually helped her into paid employment in mental health services.

Psychology in the Real World groups occur in community settings rather than stigmatising venues such as mental health units and are open to all members of the public. The bringing together of people with serious mental health diagnoses with other members of the public is a conscious strategy based upon the work of Gordon Allport aimed at reducing stigma. [10]

Holmes has been described as a critical psychologist. [11] His comment, broadcast during an episode of Radio 4's Ramblings, that loneliness is more damaging to your health than smoking cigarettes and drinking heavily trended on Twitter, [12] and though challenged at the time is now accepted by researchers and public policy makers alike. [13]

Along with Marion Janner, Scott Mills and Charles Walker, Holmes was a judge on All in the Mind's 25th Anniversary awards. [14] During his career he published over 50 academic articles and book chapters, many jointly authored with service users/survivors, on medication, the medicalisation of distress, stigma and community psychology. [15] His book Psychology in the Real World: Community-based groupwork was a key text in terms of bridging the gap between community psychology theory and practice [11] and has assisted many similar community psychology projects to be set up in the UK and other countries.

His psychological novel The Black Dogs of Glaslyn [16] was published in 2024, with all royalties going to fund groups that improve mental well-being. It includes a description of Martin Seligman's experiment on dogs relating to his theory of Learned Helplessness. The book was positively reviewed on BBC radio in September 2024. [17]

Awards

Holmes was awarded the British Psychological Society Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in Practice in 2014 [18] and in 2015 was made a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, one of the first psychologists not employed in academia to be so. [19] Later that year he retired from clinical work on the grounds of ill health, the causes of which he linked to Austerity, calling it ‘death by a thousand cuts.’

Related Research Articles

A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is also characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior, often in a social context. Such disturbances may occur as single episodes, may be persistent, or may be relapsing–remitting. There are many different types of mental disorders, with signs and symptoms that vary widely between specific disorders. A mental disorder is one aspect of mental health.

Anti-psychiatry, sometimes spelled antipsychiatry, is a movement based on the view that psychiatric treatment can be often more damaging than helpful to patients. The term anti-psychiatry was coined in 1912, and the movement emerged in the 1960s, highlighting controversies about psychiatry. Objections include the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis, the questionable effectiveness and harm associated with psychiatric medications, the failure of psychiatry to demonstrate any disease treatment mechanism for psychiatric medication effects, and legal concerns about equal human rights and civil freedom being nullified by the presence of diagnosis. Historical critiques of psychiatry came to light after focus on the extreme harms associated with electroconvulsive therapy and insulin shock therapy. The term "anti-psychiatry" is in dispute and often used to dismiss all critics of psychiatry, many of whom agree that a specialized role of helper for people in emotional distress may at times be appropriate, and allow for individual choice around treatment decisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychologist</span> Professional who evaluates, diagnoses, treats and studies behavior and mental processes

A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how individuals relate to each other and to their environments.

Community psychology is concerned with the community as the unit of study. This contrasts with most psychology, which focuses on the individual. Community psychology also studies the community as a context for the individuals within it, and the relationships of the individual to communities and society. Community psychologists seek to understand the functioning of the community, including the quality of life of persons within groups, organizations and institutions, communities, and society. They aim to enhance the quality of life through collaborative research and action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mental health</span> Level of human psychological well-being

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is a "state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community". It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health includes subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others.

The Hearing Voices Movement (HVM) is the name used by organizations and individuals advocating the "hearing voices approach", an alternative way of understanding the experience of those people who "hear voices". In the medical professional literature, ‘voices’ are most often referred to as auditory verbal hallucinations. The movement uses the term ‘hearing voices’, which it feels is a more accurate and 'user-friendly' term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social stigma</span> Type of discrimination or disapproval

Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved in modern society into a social concept that applies to different groups or individuals based on certain characteristics such as culture, gender, race, religion or health status. Social stigma can take different forms and depends on the specific time and place in which it arises. Once a person is stigmatized, they are often associated with stereotypes that can lead to discrimination and marginalization.

A mental health consumer is a person who is obtaining treatment or support for a mental disorder, also known as psychiatric or mental illness. The term was coined by people who use mental health services in an attempt to empower those with mental health issues, historically considered a marginalized segment of society. The term suggests that there is a reciprocal contract between those who provide a service and those who use a service and that individuals have a choice in their treatment and that without them there could not exist mental health providers.

Mental disorders are classified as a psychological condition marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, and emotions to seriously impair the normal psychological and often social functioning of the individual. Individuals diagnosed with certain mental disorders can be unable to function normally in society. Mental disorders may consist of several affective, behavioral, cognitive and perceptual components. The acknowledgement and understanding of mental health conditions has changed over time and across cultures. There are still variations in the definition, classification, and treatment of mental disorders.

A mental health professional is a health care practitioner or social and human services provider who offers services for the purpose of improving an individual's mental health or to treat mental disorders. This broad category was developed as a name for community personnel who worked in the new community mental health agencies begun in the 1970s to assist individuals moving from state hospitals, to prevent admissions, and to provide support in homes, jobs, education, and community. These individuals were the forefront brigade to develop the community programs, which today may be referred to by names such as supported housing, psychiatric rehabilitation, supported or transitional employment, sheltered workshops, supported education, daily living skills, affirmative industries, dual diagnosis treatment, individual and family psychoeducation, adult day care, foster care, family services and mental health counseling.

The psychiatric survivors movement is a diverse association of individuals who either currently access mental health services, or who have experienced interventions by psychiatry that were unhelpful, harmful, abusive, or illegal.

Psychiatric rehabilitation, also known as psychosocial rehabilitation, and sometimes simplified to psych rehab by providers, is the process of restoration of community functioning and well-being of an individual diagnosed in mental health or emotional disorder and who may be considered to have a psychiatric disability.

Services for mental health disorders provide treatment, support, or advocacy to people who have psychiatric illnesses. These may include medical, behavioral, social, and legal services.

Sanism, saneism, mentalism, or psychophobia refers to the systemic discrimination against or oppression of individuals perceived to have a mental disorder or cognitive impairment. This discrimination and oppression are based on numerous factors such as stereotypes about neurodiversity. Mentalism impacts individuals with autism, learning disorders, ADHD, FASD, bipolar, schizophrenia, personality disorders, stuttering, tics, intellectual disabilities, and other cognitive impairments.

The Critical Psychiatry Network (CPN) is a psychiatric organization based in the United Kingdom. It was created by a group of British psychiatrists who met in Bradford, England in January 1999 in response to proposals by the British government to amend the Mental Health Act 1983. They expressed concern about the implications of the proposed changes for human rights and the civil liberties of people with mental health illness. Most people associated with the group are practicing consultant psychiatrists in the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), among them Dr Joanna Moncrieff. A number of non-consultant grade and trainee psychiatrists are also involved in the network.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the psychiatric survivors movement:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Lehmann (author)</span>

Peter Lehmann, D. Phil. h.c., is an author, social scientist, publisher, and an independent freelance activist in humanistic anti-psychiatry, living in Berlin, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Til Wykes</span> Clinical psychologist

Dame Til Wykes, Lady Davies, DBE is an English academic, author and editor.

<i>Doctoring the Mind</i> 2009 book by Richard Bentall

Doctoring the Mind: Why psychiatric treatments fail is a 2009 book by Richard Bentall, his thesis is critical of contemporary Western psychiatry. Bentall, a professor of clinical psychology, argues that recent scientific research shows that the medical approach to mental illness is fatally flawed. According to Bentall, it seems there is no "evidence that psychiatry has made a positive impact on human welfare" and "patients are doing no better today than they did a hundred years ago".

Mental illnesses, also known as psychiatric disorders, are often inaccurately portrayed in the media. Films, television programs, books, magazines, and news programs often stereotype the mentally ill as being violent, unpredictable, or dangerous, unlike the great majority of those who experience mental illness. As media is often the primary way people are exposed to mental illnesses, when portrayals are inaccurate, they further perpetuate stereotypes, stigma, and discriminatory behavior. When the public stigmatizes the mentally ill, people with mental illnesses become less likely to seek treatment or support for fear of being judged or rejected by the public. However, with proper support, not only are most of those with psychiatric disorders able to function adequately in society, but many are able to work successfully and make substantial contributions to society.

References

  1. ↑ "Patient and Public Involvement Policy" (PDF). National Institute for Health and Care and Care Excellence (NICE). 2013.
  2. ↑ Weinstein, J. (2010). Mental health, service user involvement and recovery. London: Jessica Kingsley.
  3. ↑ Wallcraft, J. (November 1999). "Book Review: This is Madness". Openmind. 100.
  4. ↑ McCubbin, M. (2001). "Review of This is Madness". Ethical Human Sciences and Services. 3.
  5. ↑ "Combating stigma and encouraging social action". psychologyintherealworld.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Moncrieff, J. (2009). A Straight-Talking Introduction to Psychiatric Drugs. Ross: PCCS.
  7. ↑ "Walk and Talk". bbc.co.uk. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "Mental Health Walking Group". bbc.co.uk. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  9. ↑ Holmes, G. (2010). Psychology in the Real World: Community-based group work. Ross: PCCS. ISBN   9781906254131.
  10. ↑ Allport, G. (1954). The Nature of Prejudice. Oxford: Addison-Wesley.
  11. 1 2 Moloney, P. (February 2011). "Psychology in the Real World". The Psychologist.
  12. ↑ Balding, Clare (2014). Walking Home. London: Viking. ISBN   978-0-670-92147-8.
  13. ↑ Stokes-Lampard, H. (March 2018). "Community-wide approaches needed to tackle growing challenge of loneliness". Royal College of GPs (rcgp.org.uk).
  14. ↑ "All in the Mind Award Winners". bbc.co.uk. June 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Authors Profile". pccs-books.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  16. ↑ Holmes, G (2024). The Black Dogs of Glaslyn. Tolworth: Grosvenor House Publishing. ISBN   978-1-80381-926-6.
  17. ↑ Green, Adam (11 September 2024). "BBC Sounds". BBC Sounds. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  18. ↑ "Big Picture: The path to participation". thepsychologist.bps.org.uk.
  19. ↑ "The BPS President's Column". The Psychologist. 28. February 2015.
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